Late Night Conversations And Unicorn Slippers
by Lady of Cornwall
Summary: Nymphadora Tonks is madly in love with Remus Lupin. Nothing, not an age gap, social barriers or even lycanthropy will change that. Will she have the courage to tell him how she feels?


Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Harry Potter Universe

Nymphadora Tonks was pacing around the guestroom she had been allotted at the Burrow. It was late but she couldn't sleep. Her hair was changing colours as usual, but it was barely noticeable. Instead of going from bright pinks to purples to blues, it was stuck in shades of brown. Her stomach was in knots and her palms were sweaty. She heaved a heavy sigh. Nymphadora Tonks was twenty-three years old, and in love.

No matter how much she tried, she couldn't get Remus Lupin out of her head. She had adored him since the moment she had first seen him, shabby robes and all. Rather than dissipating over time, her feelings seemed to be growing stronger by the minute. It didn't matter that he was thirteen years older than her, or that he was a werewolf, and had already made it perfectly clear that he didn't think he was suited for her. She loved him. And like all young people in love, she felt that no one else in history had ever felt as strongly towards another person, as she did towards Remus.

What do you do when faced with unrequited love? Do you wallow in self-pity? Do you bury your feelings and do the best to move on with your life? Or do you fight for what you want? Whatever choice you make, the fact remains that just because love is unrequited does not mean it will evaporate. Almost every, if not all, humans have loved, or will love someone. So, if you're a human, you probably understand exactly what Nymphadora is going through. What would you do?

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After circling the room for the hundredth time, Tonks decided that perhaps a midnight snack would clear her head. She pulled on a jumper, put on her slippers (which happened to be shaped like unicorns) and headed downstairs. She made her way as quietly as she could to the kitchen, doing her best not to knock anything over. And she would have succeeded, if that vase hadn't got in her way. It fell to the floor with a loud _crash _as it shattered into what seemed to be a million pieces.

"Damn!" Tonks whispered to herself. As she bent and used her wand to repair the damage.

To her surprise, the house remained silent. She smiled slightly and continued on her path to the kitchen. Once there, she couldn't really decide what she wanted. In truth she wasn't really hungry. She rummaged through the fridge until her eyes landed on a plate of brownies that did look rather enticing. She selected the one with the most frosting and seated herself on a stool. After a few bites, her heart seemed to feel a little lighter. After all doesn't life seem sweeter with a little chocolate? When she was halfway through her delicious morsel, she decided that a glass of milk would finish her snack off nicely. She would later praise or curse that idea---depending on when you asked her. She hopped off her stool, took a glass from the cupboard and took the milk from the fridge. Returning to her seat, she proceeded to fill her glass. In the process she accidentally knocked her plate off the counter, it fell to the floor with an all too familiar _crash_.

"Damn!" She whispered again.

Looking over to see the mess she created, she tumbled off her stool and fell to the floor.

"Damn! Damn! Damn! Damn!'' She muttered as she sat amidst the broken china and brownie pieces. She looked up when she heard a soft chuckle. Looking into those all too familiar brown eyes, she wished she had stayed in her bedroom. Remus Lupin, love of her life and slayer of her heart, was standing over her offering her his hand.

"I should have known it would be you found at the scene of the crime." He smiled as he pulled her to her feet.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" Her mouth was dry; she could barely form the words.

"No, as a fellow insomniac, I was reading a book in the den, but I can't say the same for the rest of the house."

Tonks blushed deeply. She didn't know what to do. The last time they had been alone was two weeks ago, when he told her they couldn't be together. And now here he was, standing so close to her that even in the dark kitchen, she could see all the lines of his face and feel his breath on her skin. Remus it seemed noticed this at the same time and quickly took a few steps back.

"Well, if you have no permanent injuries, I think I will leave you to what is left of your snack and return to my book. Goodnight Nymphadora." He turned to exit the kitchen. Tonks, who found herself wishing she had sustained a gaping head wound, watched him go. He was two steps from the archway, when she realised she couldn't let him walk away. She took a deep breath and said,

"Remus?"

He stopped in his tracks for a moment, and then slowly turned to face her,

"Yes Nymphadora?"

"I told you, don't call me Nymphadora." Tonks blushed slightly. That had not been what she had intended to say. It had just slipped out. Of course he could call her Nymphadora. He could call her Voldemort if he wanted to.

"And as I have told you a million times, I simply could never call you anything but. Now is there something you wanted to say?"

She couldn't do it. She just couldn't do it. Looking into his eyes, she lost the ability to think clearly.

"I just wanted to say goodnight." She muttered.

"Oh---well goodnight Nymphadora." He smiled the tiniest of smiles, and turned to exit the kitchen again. Tonks watched him go, loathing herself the entire time. He had reached practically the same spot when she called out,

"Remus?"

This time he turned immediately, "Yes, Nymphadora?" He looked at her questioningly.

This was it---it was now or never. She knew that if she let him walk out of the kitchen that after this ridiculous exchange, she would never have the courage to face him again.

"I love you." She said simply.

He didn't say anything for a long time, he simply stared at her. She was beginning to wonder if he had even heard her when he shook his head slightly.

"Nymphadora, we've already been through this, and…"

"I know---I know what you said, but none of it matters."

"On the contrary, it matters a great deal. I'm sorry but…"

She cut him off again, "Remus, I don't care that you're poor, or that you're a werewolf. And so what if you're thirteen years older than me? I'm---I'm---very mature for my age!" As she said this, she was very aware of the unicorn slippers on her feet and blushed deeply.

Remus seemed to notice the unicorn slippers too, and he smiled slightly. "Nymphadora…"

"No, don't 'Nymphadora' me! If you don't love me, I understand, but tell me the truth!" She was quickly loosing control. There were tears welling up in her eyes.

Remus crossed the room until he was standing very close to her. "It just can't be Nymphadora…it just can't…"

With him standing this close to her, she could see that he had tears in his eyes too. With that realisation came the loss of her last shred of self-control. She burst into tears.

"Just say you don't love me Remus! Just say it!"

Remus grabbed her and shook her slightly. "Oh my darling girl, of course I love you!"

Tonks was flabbergasted. She could only stare at him in wonder.

"How could you ever think that I don't love you? We just can't Nymphadora---don't you understand?"

Tonks stared into his eyes, those beautiful brown eyes that had haunted her dreams for so long. She was passed words. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. To her surprise he returned the kiss. His arms moved around her waist and grasped her tightly. She wound her hands into his hair. They clung to each other for a long time. When they finally parted, they were breathless.

"You shouldn't have done that Nymphadora."

"But I wanted too…" She gazed up at him innocently.

"What on earth am I going to do with you?"

Panic suddenly rose in Tonks' chest. Had she actually just kissed Remus? What if he never wanted to speak to her again?

"Remus I…"

She never had the chance to finish her apology. For something happened that she had only dreamed about. Remus Lupin grabbed her, dipped her low, and kissed her passionately.


End file.
